Combination receiver



-N ov. 10, 1942. I J, c, BATCHELQR 2,301,504

COMBINATION RECEIVER Filed June 21, 1941 Patented Nov. 10, 1942 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I v conmnv 'ri o rtscnrvaa John 0." Batchelor, Hudson, N. Y. Application June 21, 1941, Serial No. 300,075

' (cl. rzs-ss 30mins.

My invention relates to the communication art, and specifically to entertainment receivers and I the like, adaptedto render various kinds of serv ice at various times.

It is now standard practice to transmit visual and aural intelligence on two communication channels spaced somewhat apart in-frequency and to receive such transmitted intelligence on.

a two channel receiver having one reception channel for receiving and reproducing images in accordance with the intelligence on the visual carrier and another channel for receiving and reproducing sounds in accordance with signals transmitted on the aural carrier.

Moreover, it is standard practice at the present time to transmit the aural signal by frequency modulated transmission and accordingly. in an intertainment receiver adapted to reproduce images and sounds, the sound channel will be adapted to receive such frequency modulated signals.

Now it will be understood that, when visual sigvnals are transmitted in wholeor in part by am- 'plitude modulation and the aural signals are transmitted by frequency modulation, the distance at which the respective signals can be received without intolerable interference will be greater for the sound signal than for the visual signal because of the relative superiority in this respect of frequency modulated transmissions.

Accordingly. advantage maybe taken of this circumstance by providing a receiver having relatively low sensitivity in the audio channel, making the service range of the receiver essentially the same for both sight and sound signals.

However, transmissions of aural entertainment are frequently conducted by frequency modulation at certain other frequencies without accompanying visual programs, and these signals will prove useful at distances greater than those at which visual signals will ordinarily be receivable, so that a combination sight and sound receiver having a sound channel adapted to receive these independent frequency modulated radiations will in general be supplied with considerably more sensitivity than will be required for the visual programs alone.

In view of these circumstances, it is a principal object ofmy invention to provide an entertainment receiver adapted to receive combined sight and'sound entertainment alternately with sound entertainment alone with a minimum of apparatus. n

In accordance with a typical form which my invention "may take, I have provided an enter- 55 tainment receiver having a video channel including amplifiers adapted to cooperate to reproduce images in accordance with received signals, and an audio channel, also containing amplifiers for reproducing sounds which are coordinated with said images. I have further provided control means for selectively associating a portion of the image reproducing channel with the sound reproducing channel at such times as operation of the image channel is not required so that the sensitivity of the sound channel is thereby enhanced.

, In certain ancillary arrangements, I have coordinated the above mentioned control means with frequency band changing means and sometimes with power control means so that the operation of the control means may frequently also modify the portion of the radio spectrum over which the sound channel is operative when it is used as a sound receiver alone, and also to deenergize the portions of the video channel whichare not required when the receiver is being used for audio signals alone. I

In order to describe my invention more fully.

attention is directed to the accompanying drawing which shows schematically one specific form which the receiver of my invention may-take.

In the drawing, signals ore intercepted by the antenna I and are, in part, delivered to the radio frequency amplifier 2. The output of the amplifler 2 is connected to the converter and intermediate frequency section 3 whence it is'in turn delivered to the detector and video frequency section 4. The output of the video frequency section is employed to cause the image reproducer I to create images in accordance with the signals intercepted by the antenna I At the same time, a portion of the signals from the antenna I is connected to the input circuit of the converter 6 and thence through the intermediate frequency section I and the detector and audio frequency section 8, and audio signals are reproduced by a sound reproducer 9 in accordance therewith. The audio channel thus constituted will, in compliance with present television standards, be of a type adapted to receive frequency modulated transmissions.

A multiple section control means III is provided, having, in the embodiment shown, four independent but conjointiy actuated sections II, l2, l3 and I 4, and in the position shown, the receiver will operate as Just described. In this position, the antenna I will deliver signals to the input coil II of the radio frequency amplifier 2 and through the section l2 of the control means It) to the input coil lG'of the converter 6.

At the same time, the output from the R. F. amplifier 2 will be connected through the sec tion l3 to the converter and I. F. section 3.

Still further, in this condition of operation, the section H will associate the tuning element ill with the converter 6 to fix the band in which it is operative,'and the section M will deliver power from the source IE to the sections 3 and d.

When the control means is moved to its alternate position, the following results will be seen to have been accomplished. First, the antenna I will be disconnected from the input coil l8 and the output terminal IQ of the R. F. amplifier 2 will have been connectedto the input coil 85. Power will have been removed from the sections 3 and of the video channel and the tuning element will have been associated with the input circuit of the converter 6 to modify the band in which the audio channel is operative.

The antenna 5 will be seen to have been left connected to the input coil l5 of the R. F. amplifier 2 so that the operation of the apparatus will now be as follows. Signals intercepted by the antenna i will be impressed upon the R. F. a'mplifier 2 and the output thereof will be connected to the converter 6 whose output will in turn be taken by the I. F. amplifier 1 and the detector and audio frequency section 8, so that signal; corresponding to the energy intercepted by the antenna i will be impressed upon the sound reproducer 9. The sections 3 and l of the video channel, the portions which will have been rendered inactive by the control operation, will have been deenergized by the section M so that no power will be consumed by these elements and no reduction of their remaining useful life will occur when sound programs alone are being received. At the same time, the R. F. section 2 of the video channel will have been added in cascade to the audio; channel comprising ele ments 6, I, 8 and 9, so that the sensitivity thereof will have been materially increased. It will be understood that the sections H and M of the control means ill will not be required in all cases. For example, the tuning elements of the receiver may be constructed with sufilciently broad tuning range to permit acceptance of all desired stations, both television or audio stations, without modifying the limits of the band, whereupon the section II and the tuning elements I? and 20 may be eliminated. Similarly when the utmost operating economy is not required, or for other reasons, the section I4 may be eliminated.

It will be seen, moreover, that the switching means for modifying the association of the amplifiers may be varied broadly as may the specific amplifiers or transducers which are com trolled.

It will also be understood that the drawing is completely schematic and is intended merely to show the general correlation of the elements in my receiver. All of the essential elements including control means, power sources, amplifiers, converters and detectors are well known elements in the art and need not be shown in detail. Moreover, the term detector will be understood to have been used in a broad sense and it will be understood to include the'equivalent limiter and discriminator in frequency modulation receivers.

I claim:

1. An entertainment receiver comprising means for intercepting radio signals, means for amplifying said intercepted signals to produce amplified signals corresponding thereto, a video channel for producing television signals from intercepted radio signals, an audio channel for pro ducing audio signals from radio signals intercepted in a plurality of difierent wave bands, control means for selectively delivering said amplified signals alternately to said video channel and said audio channel and for associating said intercepting means with saic audio channel when said amplified signals are not being delivered thereto, and selector means associated with said control means for changing the wave band to which said audio channel is responsive when said amplifying means is associated with said audio channel.

2. An entertainment receiver for receiv ng related visual and audible signals and, alternately therewith, audible signals only which comprises an antenna for intercepting radio ignals, an arm plifier connected with said antenna for amplifying said intercepted signals, video circuit means for converting visual signals into an image, audio circuit means for converting audio signals into sounds, control means for associating said an tenna with said audio circuit means at such times as visual signals are required from said video circuit means and at the same time delivering the output of said amplifier to said video circuit means, and alternately therewith for discontinuing the association between said antenna and said audio circuit means and for delivering the output of said amplifier to said audio circuit means at such times as an image is not required. 3. An entertainment receiver comprising antenna means for intercepting radio signals corresponding at all times at least in part to audio signals and at some times in part to video si nals which are associated with said audio signals, an image reproducer adapted to reproduce images in accordance with signals delivered thereto, signal amplifying means-connected to accept signals from said antenna means and operatively associated with said image reproducer during such times as said intercepted radio signals include video signals, sound signal reproducing means for reproducing sounds in accordance with signals delivered thereto, and control means for selectively associating said amplifying means with said sound reproducing means at such times as said received signals contain no visual signals.

JOHN C. BATCHELOR. 

